News

Seward County United Way announces upcoming community events

ROBERT PIERCE

• Leader & Times

August is nearly here, and soon, children and teens will be heading back to classrooms to start a new school year, and no matter the age, all students will need supplies for those classes.

While many families will be able to purchase their own school supplies, other families are not so fortunate, and Seward County United Way is helping those people out with two school supply drives in early August.

The first drive will happen Aug. 1, 2 and 3 with SCUW’s Stuff the Bus event. United Way will have buses parked at Walmart and Dillon’s from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. those days, and customers at those stores can buy and donate school supplies to help stuff those buses.

Chamber of Commerce announces New Educators Breakfast for Aug. 6

Special to the Leader & Times

The Chamber of Commerce will be hosting its annual New Educators Breakfast from 6:45 to 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6 at Seward County Community College. This year, the Chamber is expecting around 95 new educators from USD 480, Fellowship Baptist Church, and Seward County Community College.

This event is an opportunity to exhibit Liberal’s welcoming spirit by providing breakfast and a special goodie bag to greet the new educators. To make this possible, Chamber businesses are asked to donate items to fill the bags.

Ranchbot CEO talks recent trends with beef prices

ELLY GRIMM

• Leader & Times

Recent numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show the average price for ground beef hit $5.98 per pound in May, marking a 16.2 percent increase year-over-year.

That means beef products such as sirloin, chuck, and other cuts are also at historic highs, driven by multiple factors that continue to ripple across the industry, according to Andrew Coppin, a cattle expert and CEO of Ranchbot.

Alonso wants district to provide information on how immigration enforcement will affect schools

ELLY GRIMM

• Leader & Times

There has been much controversy in recent months about tactics taken by ICE and other law enforcement when it comes to immigration, and Monday evening, questions were raised about how students in USD 480 could be affected.

Federal funding delays could affect USD 480

Special to the Leader & Times

Federal funding plays a critical rote in education programs.

On June 30, the Kansas State Department of Education received notice the United States Department of Education was not releasing some of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title funding.